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Richard Watson Gilder
Richard Watson Gilder (February 8, 1844The Magazine of Poetry and Literary Review, vol.1, pg.3 - November 19, 1909Author and Book Info .com - The Companion to Online and Offline Literature) was an American poet and magazine editor. Life Overview Born at Borderstown, New Jersey, Gilder was successively a lawyer, a soldier, and a journalist, in which last capacity he edited Scribner's (afterwards the Century) Magazine. He holds a high place among American poets as the author of The New Day (1875), The Celestial Passion, The Great Remembrance, Five Books of Song (1894), In Palestine (1898), In the Heights (1905), A Book of Music (collection) (1906), etc.John William Cousin, "Gilder, Richard Watson," A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature, 1910, 157. Web, Jan. 17, 2018. Youth Gilder was born at Bordentown, New Jersey. He was the son of Jane (Nutt) and Rev. William Henry Gilder. His siblings were William Henry Gilder, who became an explorer; Jeannette Leonard Gilder, a journalist; and Joseph Benson Gilder, an editor. Richard was educated at his father's seminary in Flushing, Queens. There he learned to set type and published the St. Thomas Register. Gilder later studied law at Philadelphia. During the American Civil War, he enlisted in the state's Emergency Volunteer Militia as a private in Landis' Philadelphia Battery at the time of the Robert E. Lee's 1863 invasion of Pennsylvania. After the Confederates were defeated in the Battle of Gettysburg, Gilder and his unit were mustered out in August. The death of his father, while serving as chaplain of the Fortieth New York Volunteers, obliged him to give up the study of the law. Career Gilder became a reporter on the Newark (New Jersey) Advertiser, of which he was later editor. With Newton Crane, he founded the Newark Register. In 1870, he became editor of Hours at Home, a monthly magazine published by Scribner's. It merged with Scribner's Monthly, which was edited by J.G. Holland. Gilder became managing editor. When Holland died in 1881, Gilder became editor. In November 1881, the monthly was renamed as The Century Magazine, and Gilder remained its editor until his death. Gilder's assistant editor at Century was Sophia Bledsoe Herrick. Gilder took an active interest in all public affairs, especially those which tend towards reform and good government, and was a member of many New York clubs. He was a founder of the Society of American Architects, of the Authors' Club, and of the International Copyright League, a founder of the Anti-Spoils League, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He was a close friend of George MacDonald, Scottish poet, author, and preacher. They collaborated in various ventures such as MacDonald's American lecture tour in the '70s. Gilder received the degree of LL.D. from Dickinson College in 1883. Gilder was a member of the Simplified Spelling Board. He was a leader in the organization of the Citizens' Union, a founder and the 1st president of the Kindergarten Association, and of the New York Association for the Blind. Gilder was chairman of the first Tenement House Commission in New York City. During his service on the commission, he arranged to be called whenever there was a fire in a tenement house, and at all hours of the night he risked his health and his life itself to see the perils besetting the dwellers of the tenements, in order to make wise recommendations as to legislation that would minimize these perils. Family On 3 June 1874, Gilder married a daughter of Commodore George Coleman De Kay, Helena de Kay (1846–1916). She was a talented painter and a founder of the Art Students League and Society of American Artists. She also modeled for, and was an unrequited love of, the painter Winslow Homer.“The Courtship of Winslow Homer,” Magazine Antiques, Feb 2002. Retrieved 20 August 2010. Gilder and de Kay were the models for the characters Thomas and Augusta Hudson in Wallace Stegner's Pulitzer-prize winning novel, Angle of Repose. Their son, Rodman de Kay Gilder (1877–1953), became an author and married Louise Comfort Tiffany, a daughter of Louis Comfort Tiffany. A celebrated plaster sculpture of the family by Augustus Saint-Gaudens is owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/astg/ho_2002.445.htm Publications Poetry *''The New Day. New York: Scribner, 1875; 4th edition, New York: Century, 1887. *The Poet and His Master, and other poems. New York: Scribner, 1878. *Lyrics, and other poems. New York: Scribner, 1885; New York: Century, 1887. *The Celestial Passion. New York: Century, 1887. *Two Worlds, and other poems. *The Great Remembrance, and other poems. New York: Century, 1893. *Five Books of Song. New York: Century, 1894. *In Palestine, and other poems. New York: Century, 1898. *Poems and Inscriptions. New York: Century, 1901. *In the Heights. New York: Century, 1905. *The Fire Divine. New York: Century, 1907. *For the Country. New York: Century, 1907. *In Helena's Garden'' *''A Book of Music. New York: Century, 1906. *Poems. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1908. Non-fiction *[https://archive.org/details/lincolnleaderli1747gild Lincoln the Leader'' / Lincoln's Gift for Expression]. Boston & New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1909. *''Grover Cleveland: A record of friendship. New York: Century, 1910. Letters *''Letters (edited by Rosamond Gilder). Boston & New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1916; London: Constable, 1916. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Richard Watson Gilder, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, May 3, 2018. See also *List of U.S. poets References * Notes External links ;Poems *Richard Watson Gilder at PoemHunter (68 poems) *''The Poems of Richard Watson Gilder'' at Wikisource ;Quotes *Richard Watson Gilder at Wikiquote ;About *Richard Watson Gilder at Hymntime *Gilder, Richard Watson (1844-1909 at the Walt Whitman Archive Category:1844 births Category:1909 deaths Category:Union Army soldiers Category:American male poets Category:Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters Category:American newspaper founders Category:People from Bordentown, New Jersey Category:People from Queens, New York Category:People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War Category:19th-century poets Category:American poets Category:English-language poets Category:Poets